Stamford police say a new breed of scammers target checks in the city's post office boxes.

Police say the so-called "mail fishers" run their makeshift lines into mailboxes in high-traffic areas like Summer Street. Once they've fished out a few checks, the scammers doctor the amounts and names and cash out for themselves.

Officers say it's become a tempting scheme for would-be criminals over the past year.

The post office is working on rolling out secure mailboxes that are harder to fish from or tamper with. But police say if you're mailing checks or anything else important, your best bet is still to come to the post office, go inside and do your mailing from within.